Tags: Weapon.
PAVA spray is an incapacitant spray dispensed from a hand-held canister in a liquid stream. It contains a 0.3% solution of pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) a synthetic capsaicinoid in a solvent of aqueous ethanol. The propellant is nitrogen. This solution has been selected because this is the minimum concentration which will fulfil the purpose of the equipment; namely to minimise a person’s capacity for resistance without unnecessarily prolonging their discomfort.